Title

Authors

Document Type

Article

Journal/Book Title/Conference

Transactions of the ASAE

Volume

27

Issue

6

Publication Date

1984

First Page

1690

Last Page

1695

Abstract

Solar earth-water distillation is a means of extracting moisture from an earth medium. Three designs of the hot-box type of solar earth-water still were tested using wet or saturated sand. The designs included: low height with reflective interior siding, tall height with reflective siding and tall height with absorptive siding. The daily volume of distillate from different designs was compared. A twenty-centimeter-tall still with reflective siding produced significantly greater yields than one twice as tall. No significant difference in the yield between tall stills with light-absorptive versus light reflective interior siding was found. A regression equation was developed to predict water production for a low still with reflective siding and a sixteen-degree cover slope. Independent variables included soil moisture, solar radiation and maximum and minimum daily temperature.